


For the BSAA

by FanGirlyBree



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Amnesia, Canon-Typical Violence, Flashbacks, M/M, Male Slash, Post-War, Sexual Content, Zombies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-07
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-04-30 11:10:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5161580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanGirlyBree/pseuds/FanGirlyBree
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Piers awakes in a new place - all memory of his past life has been forgotten, only brief flashes of his old life lingering in dreams or feelings of deja-vu. He's been healed of his infection, but the war has left scars behind. Will he be able to remember his past with the BSAA - and his feelings for Chris- or will he find happiness with a new beginning?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Forgetting the Past

**Author's Note:**

> This will be a series of chapters - the second chapter will come soon. I realize that this story does not follow the canon belief (as Jake's cure doesn't work on already mutated zombies as stated in the notes on the game, blah blah) but I'm thinking if Sherry's virus can adapt, so can Piers' right? 
> 
> I hope you take it for what it is and don't judge me too harshly for wanting Piers to be alive <3

The soft glow of the campfire woke Piers gently, and he turned his face to the light curiously, groaning as he sat up groggily. He hadn’t been getting much sleep this tour, especially since the size of the BOW’s they’d been fighting had grown. After they’d run into the girl named Sherry and that insurgent she was ‘protecting’, Chris had gotten a little stressed out. Something about the boy had really freaked him out. It was because of that fact that Piers wasn’t surprised to see that it was Chris still awake at the fire. 

Piers sighed lightly, watching Chris quietly for a moment, his back bent as he held his head in his hands. Being the Captain of a squad of BSAA agents surely took it out of a person… Piers didn’t envy him the task. He tried to take as much strain off of the Captain as possible though. If any of the rookies bothered him with things that Piers could handle, they knew after ‘talking’ to Piers never to do it again. 

Piers checked his phone, seeing that Claire had e-mailed him back, and a wide smile spread across his face to notice that she had sent pictures of Chris when he was younger as he’d asked. He looked through them, feeling an odd fluttering in his stomach as he looked through the young faces of this kid, so obviously excited about the future and his joining the military. Piers was a fan of Chris’ muscles now, but there was a certain charm to the young Chris and his lean figure. He must have made a decision to get really buff for some reason. Chris didn’t like to talk about himself much. 

Piers stood up, tossing his phone back onto his cot as he made his way toward Chris. “Hey Captain.” He murmured, but as Chris turned to look at him suddenly the scene changed. Chris was holding Piers up, one arm around his waist as sirens wailed, and an automated voice was warning them to get to safety, that the flooding of the facility was imminent. Piers felt weak and guilty for slowing Chris down. Despite the soft murmurs from Chris guaranteeing his safety, Piers knew that he wasn’t going to be escaping with Chris. He was too weak. Too close to the edge. Too much of a monster. 

The injection of the ‘super virus’ into his system may have saved Piers’ life for the time being, but he felt the virus inside of him, changing him, and not for the better. His whole life he’d trained to destroy the thing that he was becoming. He knew what he had to do. As he pushed Chris into the escape pod he saw the realization on his captain’s face as it donned on him. Piers wasn’t just doing this for the BSAA. He was doing it to save Chris. He watched until Chris’ face disappeared… even as he disappeared he still had that look of determination, like he would find some way to save Piers, even after all of it. Piers admired that about Chris. He wasn’t one to give up easily. 

\------

Piers woke with a start as a roll of thunder crashed outside his window. He groaned, holding his head, the face of that man burned into his memory. Every night it was the same thing, dreaming about the same military man. He had no idea who it was, but he felt like something about him was important. He sighed, rubbing his eyes as he sat up in the bed, turning his eyes to the window as another roll of thunder passed, this time punctuated with a flash of lightning. He knew the lightning would be followed with more thunder, so he just turned his eyes away, furrowing his brow as he realized that his dogtags were on the bedside table. He sighed, reaching out to take them into his fist. 

Honestly the dogtags were the only clue he had about his past. He was found on the beach of a small island by a woman named Mao; who thankfully knew enough English to help him understand what was going on. They’d found him when he was mostly mutated, but since he was out cold, they were able to administer the treatment. Some guy had apparently been able to use antibodies in his blood to make an antivirus. His case was severe, so there were still side-effects, like the scars on half of his torso, and the limited use of his right arm. His right eye, as well, was now permanently a ghostly shade of blue, which would probably take some getting used to if he ever remembered what he used to look like. 

He was still good-looking, according to the women in the village who tried to hit on him daily. Mao told him that he was unique, and that the scars only made him look tough. He hoped that she wasn’t exaggerating things. He sighed, slipping the dogtags back on, calmed by the cool metal against his skin. They told him his name was Piers, and that he was a sniper. That he belonged somewhere once. He was part of a team. 

That understanding, however, only made him more confused and angry. If he was part of a team, why had they left him behind? Why was he alone now? He sighed deeply as he felt the anger bubbling up inside him. He closed his eyes, walking over to lean his forehead against the window as another flash of lightning lit up the village. He’d been thinking about signing up with the small group of mercenaries that were visiting the island. They were leaving in a few weeks for the mainland. They were going to drive the American military out of the city. They were there ‘trying’ to help, but things hadn’t gotten bad until they stuck their noses into their business anyway. The Chinese people weren’t exactly happy with the help… and they wanted the Americans to go home. Piers had a feeling that he was once a part of said American military, but if they’d left him behind to die, he had as much of a reason to want them gone as anybody else. This was his home now… so he might as well help defend it.

\-----

“Good morning Piers!” Mao greeted him in Chinese the next day. Piers furrowed his brow for a moment before nodding. 

“Good morning, Mao.” He replied in clumsy Chinese. Mao only grinned, clapping her hands at his progress. Piers smiled lightly, nodding and sitting down to a bowl of cereal. He’d begun seeing her as a sister more than anything, which somehow helped him feel a little more at home than before. “So… about those mercenaries that are leaving town in a few weeks?” He breathed, now speaking English. Mao nodded, tilting her head at him. “I’ve been thinking about joining them.” 

“Why?” 

“I just… don’t feel like I can stay here if I’m ever going to figure out who I am.” Piers sighed, turning his eyes down to his cereal. Mao watched him, nodding lightly. 

“Then I will come with you.” 

“What? Mao, you don’t…” 

“I have to keep an eye on you.” Mao giggled lightly. “Besides, you are like family.” She nodded. “I can learn to fight and keep you safe. Plus teach you more Chinese so you can understand what your teammates need you to do.” She nodded. Piers smiled, realizing that she was going to come no matter what he said. 

“Okay.” He nodded. “But first things first we have to get the group to let us come with them, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” 

“No problem at all.” Mao grinned. “You leave it to me.” 

\-----

Piers groaned as one of his fellow snipers aimed at a target for the third time, missing once again. Although Piers didn’t remember fully his past life as a soldier, his muscle memory seemed to validate the fact that he was one of the best snipers – as he was one of the best snipers in this small group of mercenaries. They had watched his skill before quickly promoting him, putting him in charge of whipping the other snipers into shape. 

“No, you don’t look down the sight like that.” Piers growled in English before realizing that the young man he was talking to had no idea what he was saying. “Look down the sight like this,” He repeated in Chinese, picking up the sniper rifle and aiming, hitting the target close to the bullseye as he pulled the trigger. “Again.” He waved his hand in a circle motion, watching the man as he aimed again as Piers had showed him, this time hitting the target, at least, but far from the center. “Keep working.” He nodded, moving on to the next person in the line. He looked up as his commanding officer came toward him, calling his name. “Captain?” He murmured, gasping as a flood of déjà vu washed over him. That title belonged to someone else. Someone important. He decided that it might be best to figure out something else to call his CO from now on. 

“We’re moving for the mainland in the morning.” The commander told Piers briskly, nodding to the snipers who were training behind Piers. “Are the men fit for battle?” 

“They’ll be alright, but I do think they need more training.” Piers replied slowly, turning to watch the sniper he had just been working with, who was taking his training to heart, thankfully. The commander nodded lightly, also noting the marked improvement in the sniper’s skills. 

“You will continue training with them during the trip, and at camp. I want you by my side when we push the Americans back where they belong.” He turned to look at Piers. “Are you with me?” 

Piers blinked at the commander, flashes of the man he always saw in his dream taking over the commander’s features for a moment. He sighed lightly, nodding at the commander; although this too felt weird – almost wrong. He belonged somewhere else, with some other captain wanting him by his side. 

“Yes sir, I’m with you.” Piers replied quietly. The commander gave him a look for a moment before nodding, leaving without another word. Piers blinked away the strange feeling of déjà vu, turning back to focus on his training. That was what was important now, not trying to remember people from his past who had left him behind. He had a new team now, and they needed him. Nothing else mattered.


	2. Just Not the Same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris and Piers both struggle to forget one another. Chris is strapped with a new team and a New Piers who just doesn't fill his predecessor's shoes. Piers finds himself in the arms of another man, but can't help the thoughts of Chris taking over.

Chris sighed as he looked around at his new squad, nothing feeling quite right yet. He knew that eventually he would move on, as he had when he’d lost previous partners. Jill had been the hardest, and when he found out that she was still alive he’d opened that part of him that was so easily shut down. She had been his first partner, and Sheva took over after her with some resistance… but Piers had been easy. Everything about being his partner came easily. Piers had always been rather headstrong, and looking back he was immensely proud of the way he’d turned around when he had to take care of Chris instead of being taken care of. 

Piers had taken on a lot of responsibility for being so young – he’d become Chris’ second in command without Chris even fully realizing. He realized now how much of a weight Piers kept off of his shoulders. He missed him with every fiber of his being – to the depths of his soul. He wished that it had been him instead of Piers to have died in that underwater facility. 

He’d be lying if he told you that part of him didn’t hope that Piers would show up out of the blue one day… that he was still alive like Jill had been. It was wrong to hope, and Chris knew that. They’d held a funeral for the damn kid already for Christ’s sake. It was time to move on. Even the thought of moving on made Chris feel like dying. He knew Piers hadn’t sacrificed himself for the BSAA, as he claimed to. He knew that it was because he couldn’t stand the idea of hurting Chris. 

It was just like Chris to fucking realize how much Piers meant to him after he was gone. He growled in anger, punching the wall suddenly and making his soldiers jump in surprise. Chris ignored the looks, and eventually Piers’ replacement waved them all away to do training drills. After a few moments, Chris tore his headset off, wanting to block out the voice of HQ as the man’s voice began giving them mission assignments. He knew that he should be listening, but he felt that maybe he deserved a break every now and again.  
“Captain?” the new Piers came back, and Chris mentally told himself that he needed to stop referring to him as ‘the new Piers’ even in his head. 

“What is it?” He asked brusquely. 

“HQ wants us to take out a few targets North of here with Bravo. Should we-” He cut off abruptly as Chris turned to glare at him, getting up from his cot and grabbing his rifle. 

“Just keep up with me.” He murmured. The soldier nodded, watching Chris quietly. It was very rare that he got like this. He was usually a caring captain. Thinking about his mistakes – and how he would never be able to fix them – got him riled up though. If the new Piers were actually Piers, he would probably find some way to get Chris to talk about it. That was just it, though. He wasn’t Piers. 

He wasn’t Piers. 

\-----

Piers walked behind the snipers at the new base on the mainland, calling out orders in Chinese. He had been practicing with Mao daily on learning to speak Chinese more fluently, and so far things were going well. When you were forced to learn a language in order to communicate it seemed to move faster. Otherwise Piers would never get anything done. It wasn’t really a matter of want, more a matter of need. 

He looked up as a few soldiers walked by, wearing porcelain painted masks, and he groaned, holding his head as a flash of people turning into monsters, arms bursting through the skin and becoming longer than they were tall… flesh ripping as they mutated into creatures. He had to actively stop himself from shooting at the soldiers, fear coursing through him. He left quickly, shutting himself up in his tent. 

What was wrong with him? 

“Piers, you okay?” Sean, one of Piers’ fellow soldiers; who’s accent told him that he was from England; asked as he followed him into the tent. Piers sighed lightly in relief, smiling at Sean. He liked having someone to talk to in English. Mao was sweet, but a lot of the time there was a bit of a cultural difference. 

“I’m fine.” Piers replied softly, furrowing his brow lightly. He had no idea why he was lying to Sean about it. He turned his soft gaze to Sean, sighing lightly. “I mean… I guess there are times when I feel like… like I should remember something, but I don’t. Do you know what I mean?” 

Sean shook his head lightly, smiling at Piers. “I can’t say I do, not first-hand anyway. But judging from those scars and what I hear the other soldiers say you looked like when they found you, I don’t doubt there are things that need repressing.” He teased gently. Piers felt his brow crease in sadness, and he turned to slump onto his cot, his face in his hands. He felt the mattress move as Sean sat beside him, and felt a shiver run up his spine as Sean gently set his hand on Piers’ back. Before Piers knew what he was doing he had his fingers tangled in Sean’s sandy-brown hair, his lips pressed hotly against the taller man’s, his breath hot as it mingled with Sean’s. Sean blinked lightly at the sudden change of pace, but he didn’t argue, tightening his fingers around Piers’ waist to pull him in closer. 

Piers felt the world break in two at that moment – with a rush his mind was somewhere else as Sean began undressing him. Piers felt only the rush that came with Chris’ fingers on his skin. Sean kissed along Piers’ neck and Piers could feel Chris’ stubble, feel the warmth of his breath and hear the soft rumble of his voice. He’d dreamed this before – he could feel the overwhelming sense of security the memory brought with it. He could smell Chris all around him – the smell of his sweat, gunpowder, dirt, blood… but it all was overshadowed by the aftershave he always found the time to splash on each morning. Piers loved that about him. He felt like maybe; even subconsciously Chris felt something for him, enough to feel the need to impress him. 

Piers was pushed down into the mattress and he felt nothing but Chris’ strong arms around him, tugging the belt open around his waist. He met Chris’ lips with a feverish kiss, his fingers running down to grope between Chris’ legs, a soft breathy moan escaping him when he found what he was looking for. He slipped his fingers under Chris’ clothing, his fingers wrapping firmly around the thick shaft, feeling it throb beneath his fingers. He wanted this just as much as Piers always had. He smiled, moaning softly. 

“Captain,” He whispered breathlessly. 

“Captain?” Sean’s voice broke through Piers’ haze. “Roleplay, huh?” He chuckled. “I can dig it.” He chuckled. Piers blinked quickly in confusion, running his free hand down Sean’s arms, noticing the lack of muscle there. No…that wasn’t right. Piers groaned, immediately retracting as soon as he realized that it was not in fact Chris above him. He felt the memory begin to slip away again like fog on the breeze… all thoughts of Chris fading from his mind. 

“I-I’m sorry,” Piers whispered, shaking his head. “I… I can’t.” He whispered. Sean furrowed his brow, clearly disappointed. 

“Was it something I said?” He asked softly. Piers shook his head, feeling sick to his stomach. 

“It’s… It has nothing to do with you.” Piers whispered, turning to crawl out from under Sean, his head swimming. Sean gently gripped Piers’ shoulder, steadying him. Piers realized what he was tossing aside and it only made him feel sicker. What the hell was wrong with him? He didn’t ask for this. He didn’t want ghosts from his past crawling up out of his head anytime he was close to feeling good. He was being held back by something he couldn’t even remember. 

“Let me take you to the medical tent, huh?” Sean whispered, his soft blue eyes shimmering as he watched Piers. Piers nodded in agreement, letting Sean help him off to the medical tent. Piers, however, was sure that there was nothing they could give him to make ghosts or memories go away. That was all in his head.


	3. Piers?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piers and Chris come face-to-face for the first time since the underwater facility.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter, but I wanted to make a bit of an update. I got a bit stuck for a little while, but hopefully things will move a bit smoother after this point.

The months went by quickly, it seemed like a blur to Piers as he quickly climbed the ranks in his new team, all of it second-nature to him. He didn’t even have to think about how to shoot a gun, it was just instinctual to him. Before he knew it he was second-in-command of a small group of rebel soldiers. Sean hadn’t been scared away by the initial awkwardness of their relationship, and after Piers explained how he was feeling Sean understood. He would see Piers’ gaze glaze over and know that there was something he was trying desperately to remember, but something inside of him just kept it at arm’s length. 

They began spending more and more time together, and Piers found that it was extremely stress-relieving to have someone to talk to. Even more so to have someone he enjoyed touching and being touched by. They would slip off together at night and make out, partly undressed. The farthest they’d gotten was Piers giving Sean a rather timid blow-job, which Sean admittedly loved, but Piers knew he wanted things to go further. Piers himself felt the desire to go farther, but he felt something holding him back. Sean was the most patient person Piers had met – and he knew if the situation was reversed he wouldn’t have been half as patient with things. 

Finally the time came for the first of many battles to push the American soldiers out of the city. Piers’ team was going to be one of the first into battle, and he felt a rush of fear and excitement as they left their camp with guns ready. The city was still recovering from the bioterrorist attacks, and the population of the city had been decimated. Many of the people had been past saving, and even with mandatory vaccines they were still finding family members who had hidden away someone who had been infected. They fooled themselves into thinking that they could save them somehow, or that with time things would just work themselves out. 

Piers knew subconsciously that was the reason the Americans were still around, that they wanted to protect the people… but really they had been the ones that brought the infection here, weren’t they? He sighed, quietly motioning his team forward. The streets were quiet except for the soft crunching of an American soldier pacing. They’d had the city under quarantine for quite some time. Piers breathed a sigh of relief; at least he knew that there wouldn’t be civilian casualties. He whistled softly, motioning for one of his snipers to take the shot. 

The soldier appeared to be alone, but the moment the shot was fired Piers knew it was a mistake. Before the soldier hit the ground there was a cry of rage from a soldier they couldn’t see. 

“Fuck! Bruce, what’s wrong?” The second soldier ran to check on ‘Bruce’, but Piers knew it was too late. It had been a clean shot. 

“He’s supposed to be alone,” Piers hissed under his breath. He motioned for his sniper to take the second shot, but he knew they were compromised now. 

“Captain! Fuck, there’s someone here shooting, you have to come, I can’t make heads or tails of them. Bruce is dead, I didn’t see where the shot came-” And with another shot from the sniper the whistle-blower was dead. 

“They’ll be here soon.” Piers told his soldiers in broken Chinese. “We hold position here and see if we can’t get the drop on them when they arrive.” 

\----

Chris was the one to get the frantic call, and within seconds he had his team mobilized. They moved in formation through the deserted streets, and every now and then he’d see flashes of curtains moving, the civilians checking to see what the commotion was. Chris communicated with his team with hand gestures, keeping the chatter to a minimum.   
“Keep your eyes open. They have to be here – fuck!” Chris and his team immediately dropped to the ground as a shot was fired, hitting one of his soldiers on the shoulder. 

“It came from over there!” One of his team yelled, pointing to the general area the shot was fired from. Chris nodded, grunting. 

“Grab some cover!” He growled, throwing a grenade toward the shots. There were several yells and Chris was glad to see that he’d hit someone with the grenade. Soon things were chaos, guns were firing left and right; Chris couldn’t tell which voices were friendly and which were hostile. Before long the enemy was dwindling down, and what seemed to be the captain of the enemy team called out something in Chinese. The voice of the enemy captain sent a jolt of shock through Chris. He stood, as if in a daze, staring at the scarred man screaming in Chinese. The rebels fled, and the leader turned to look at Chris. As their gaze met, Chris felt another more powerful jolt. It was Piers. Piers looked confused for a moment, but turned to follow his team out of the city. 

Before Chris even knew what he was doing, his legs were carrying him away from his team; bent over the wounded. 

“Captain? Captain, what- CAPTAIN!” New-Piers yelled, but Chris was sprinting now, sprinting away from the safety of his team and after the Rebels. After the Piers-impersonator. Because it couldn’t really be him, could it? 

The Piers lookalike glanced over his shoulder, swearing as he saw Chris chasing him. He ducked into an alley, followed quickly by Chris. Chris heard the familiar voice swearing loudly as Chris chased him down a dead-end. They were facing each other now, guns pointed at one another’s faces, chests heaving. Chris swallowed the lump in his throat. At this distance there was no doubting the similarities between this rebel and Piers. 

“Piers?” Chris croaked, hating himself for sounding so weak. Piers’ brow furrowed in a familiar way, and he looked distressed as confusion flashed across his expression.   
“How do you know my name?” Piers asked softly, speaking English now. Chris felt his heart skip a beat, dropping into his stomach. He felt like throwing up and crying all at the same time. His hand shook on his gun, and Piers watched him with open confusion now.

“You don’t… Piers, you don’t remember?” Chris whimpered. Piers opened his mouth to reply when there was a cry of shock down the alley. 

“Piers!” A voice cried out. Piers blinked, shaken from his daze. He shoved past Chris, running as fast as he could from the alley with a young rebel soldier at his side. 

“Piers!” Chris yelled after him, anger welling up inside of him. He growled angrily, kicking the large garbage can behind him. He slammed his fists down on the lid, leaving two sizeable dents in the hard metal, but it did nothing to alleviate the pain he felt inside. Piers was still alive. He was still alive and Chris had abandoned him. 

“Captain?” A soft voice behind Chris murmured. Chris didn’t have to turn around to know that it was new-Piers. “Captain? Are you alright?” He asked. He reached out to touch Chris’ shoulder, only to have his hand shoved away by a very angry Chris. 

“I’m fine. Why didn’t you stay with the men?” 

“Well, I thought…” 

“Unless your orders are to follow me, you stay with the men.” Chris hissed at him, turning to walk away. New-Piers watched Chris sadly, his shoulders slumping. 

“Yes… yes sir.” He murmured, completely at a loss as to why Chris treated him like he did.


	4. Ghosts

Piers pushed Sean’s hands away as he stumbled into his tent, followed closely by a very concerned Sean. Piers collapsed on the ground, groaning as he held his head in his hands. He cried out in pain as memories overcame him, all of that man. He loved him. He felt his heart ache as he realized that he was the man that had been haunting his dreams and his waking moments. The man that was silently keeping him and Sean at arm’s length. He felt tears sting his eyes and he pulled in frustration at his own hair. 

“Piers?” Sean whispered, his voice thick with worry. “Piers, are you okay?” He asked, gently rubbing Piers’ back. Piers groaned, shaking his head, afraid if he opened his mouth he would vomit all over the floor. Sean paled, biting his bottom lip as he watched Piers. “Piers, please, talk to me?” He whispered. 

“J-Just give me a moment, please?” Piers groaned, shivering. “Please, I just… I need to be alone.” 

“Alright.” Sean breathed, getting up reluctantly. “I’ll… I’ll be right outside the tent, okay? Let me know if you need me.” 

Piers remained quiet until Sean left the tent. He whimpered, crawling over to his cot, curling up under his blanket. He stared at the canvas wall, trying to make sense of the rush of blurry memories. He whimpered softly, closing his eyes and taking deep, calming breaths. Chris. The man’s name was Chris. 

But why had he been alone? Why had Chris abandoned Piers? What the hell had happened? Piers groaned in frustration before sighing deeply. He opened his eyes, looking down and pulling up his shirt, realizing that he had been grazed by a bullet. The shock of coming face-to-face with the man from his past had just numbed him to everything else. He sighed deeply, turning to look at the tent flap. 

“Sean?” he called, wincing lightly as a very-nervous Sean rushed in. 

“What is it? Are you okay?” Sean asked, walking over, shaking slightly. Piers frowned, reaching over to gently touch Sean’s arm. Sean saw the blood on Piers’ hand and whimpered. 

“I’m fine. I’m fine, Sean.” Piers assured him quietly, feeling extremely worn out. “I just got grazed. Could you get me to the medical tent?” 

“I’ll bring someone here.” Sean assured Piers shakily, rushing from the tent again. Piers sighed, closing his eyes. 

 

Piers awoke in a strange room, hooked up to medical equipment and cleaner than he had been in months. He furrowed his brow, looking around at the sterile white walls in confusion. 

“You’re awake,” an unfamiliar voice breathed at his side, and he turned, realizing for the first time that there was a nurse in the room. “You can understand English right?” 

“Yeah… yeah, where am I?” Piers asked. 

“The hospital. I’ll go let your friend know that you’re here, alright? He’s waiting just outside.” The nurse smiled at Piers, who only felt more confused as he sat up. Had Sean just flipped out and brought him to the hospital? 

“I’m glad you’re awake.” A gruff voice greeted Piers. Piers looked up into Chris’ blue eyes, feeling his heart clench in a mixture of fear, anxiety, and the tiniest bit of excitement. Chris glanced at the hospital monitors, hearing Piers’ heart rate speed up. “Woah, calm down, alright?” Chris murmured, holding his hands up to show that he was unarmed. Piers furrowed his brow, looking down at his hands. 

“Where’s Sean?” Piers asked shortly. 

“Sean?” Chris asked, frowning. “Is that one of the men you were with?” 

“The British one.” Piers murmured, still not looking up at Chris. 

“He’s fine. All of the men are fine. We’re uh… we’re going to have to detain everyone until the mission is finished, though.” Chris murmured, his gruff voice doing strange things to Piers’ body. He sighed, rubbing away the goosebumps that appeared on his arms. 

“And what about me? Why do I get to lay around in a cushy hospital room?” He demanded, chancing a glance up at Chris, who looked pained. 

“Well, it’s not really the same… the same circumstances here.” Chris murmured. 

“Why not? I attacked your team, the same as anyone else. I was the one who trained them, who gave orders. I would think that you would hold me more accountable than any of the men.” 

“Nobody’s in trouble, Piers.” Chris assured him softly. “This is a delicate situation. We’ve… We’re just trying to help. We’ll be out of the city as soon as we’re sure it’s safe. As soon as we know there won’t be another outbreak.” 

Piers sighed, turning onto his side so that his back was to Chris. He heard Chris sigh, and he glanced over his shoulder nonchalantly to watch Chris collapse into a comfortable arm chair in the corner of the room, his head in his hands. 

“You don’t remember any of it, do you?” Chris asked after a long moment of silence. “Anything from before? You don’t… you don’t remember me.” 

Piers froze, frowning at the monitor showing the constantly moving line plotting his heart rate. He swallowed, shrugging lightly. 

“Bits and pieces.” He answered truthfully, reluctantly. “Why did you abandon me?” He asked in a strained voice. He heard a sharp intake of breath from Chris, and a growl of anger. 

“You think I abandoned you?” Chris asked, his voice tight with emotion. 

“Well… you… you and the team.” Piers whispered, watching the moving line speed up with his heart. “That’s why I woke up on an island, alone, isn’t it?” 

“Piers, we thought you were dead.” Chris hissed. “We held a funeral, I was tasked with awarding medals of honor to your family, medals for your brave service-” Chris cut off with a sharp breath, shaky with emotion. “I should have searched harder, I know. I should’ve kept looking until I found you. I shouldn’t have given up… fuck.” Piers had turned during this speech, watching Chris’ pained emotions as he spoke to the floor, apparently too scared to look at Piers. “You were there for me when I needed you, Piers. You were always there, and I… I should have known that you were still alive. It just… it hurt too much to hope.” He glanced up at Piers, wincing and looking down again. “I couldn’t stand trying to find you and coming up with nothing. Now that you’re here, I’m… I’m not leaving you again, Piers.” He breathed, clearing the emotion from his throat. “I’ll be here, whether you ever remember me or not. I’ll be here, even if it means quitting the BSAA and moving here to stay with you.” 

“Don’t… don’t quit the BSAA.” Piers breathed before he even knew what he was saying. It was like a reflex. Chris looked up into Piers’ eyes, smiling lightly. 

“Good to know that you’re still in there, somewhere.” He murmured, standing up. “I’ll… I’ll leave you for now. The doctor said you shouldn’t be too stressed while you’re healing. I’ll be back tomorrow, though.” He opened his mouth as if to say something else, blushing lightly and rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment as he shut his mouth again. Piers nodded. 

“Okay.” He breathed, feeling a warm feeling in his chest as he watched the muscled man blush. He could tell that he was telling the truth. Piers felt a small ray of hope that he hadn’t been abandoned. That he, maybe, still belonged somewhere. That maybe the ghosts in his past wouldn’t be ghosts forever.


End file.
